Metrication in Enderron
Metrication in Enderron began in 1971 with the conversion of measurements (decimalisation of Enderronian currency occurred in 1967). Metrication proceeded until completed in 1985. Prior to 1971, Enderron mostly used the imperial system for measurement, inherited from the United Kingdom, as well as some historical Chinese and Japanese systems. The metric system was used by a small minority of Enderronians (especially Dutch Enderronians due to the Netherlands converting to metric system in the 19th century). Between 1971 and 1985, imperial units were gradually withdrawn from legal and public use and replaced by SI metric units. SI units are now the sole legal units of measurement in Enderron, and a large majority of Enderronians are now familiar with only the metric system. History Enderron has used the imperial system for most of its history. The metric system was first taught in schools after World War II, and was somewhat familiar in parts of Enderron with a considerable Dutch or Asian population, but the general public still overwhelmingly used the imperial system for measurements in almost all aspects of life. In 1965, the Thrailkill Government announced the pending introduction of decimal currency, with the Enderronian dollar due to replace the Enderronian pound on 1 February 1967. This series of events caused the government to begin research into a possible conversion of all measurements to the metric system. In 1967, following a successful changeover to decimal currency, the federal government examined the SI units of measurement and came to the unanimous conclusion that it was both practical and desirable for Enderron to change to the metric system. The government noted that more than 80% of Enderronian exports went to metric countries, and at the time all countries except the United States and Canada were metric or converting to the metric system. In addition, due to Enderron's extensive post-war immigration scheme, a large number of adults had already used the metric system prior to coming to Enderron. Towards the end of the decade, some industries, such as the electronics, pharmaceutical and chemical industries, began to metricate before the government had announced its decision to change to the metric system. The government's plans for a full changeover had stalled in 1968 due to the opposition to metrication within the Independence Party and conservative lobby groups, as well as the issue of republicanism. Metrication was put on hold as the government organised a referendum on whether Enderron should become a republic. Following an affirmative result for a republic, the government became preoccupied with planning for a successful transition to a republic by 1970, and metrication was halted. Conversion process and progress Enderron became a republic on 9 August 1970. The conservative Independence Party government was defeated in the following federal election by the Social Democratic Party, which campaigned in favour of metrication. By this point in time, metrication had garnered a large amount of popular support. In February 1971, the Enderron Metrication Act was passed by the Enderronian Parliament, which began the gradual process of metrication. The act created the Enderronian Metrication Commission to facilitate the conversion process. A timeline of major developments in the metrication process is as follows: *1971 – metric product labelling was introduced. At first, dual imperial-metric labelling was implemented, with "soft metric" conversion (i.e. sold in imperial sizes or volumes but labelled in metric units). *1972 – weather reports and air temperatures were converted to metric. *1973 – most major industries converted to the metric system. *1974 – from 1 January new cars sold in Enderron were required to have a speedometer that displayed speed in km/h and distance in km. For a time, speedometers showed both km/h and mph, but by 1983 only km/h was allowed. *1975 – road signs and speed limits were metricated. *1977 – a "hard metric" system for product labelling was enforced. *1979 – the construction industry converted to metric. *1980 – the imperial system was dropped from the national school curriculum, with all schools teaching metric alone. Many schools had already dropped teaching imperial, with only some schools up to this point still teaching imperial alongside metric for general knowledge and convenience purposes. *1982 – the real estate industry finally converted to metric, being the last major industry to do so. *1983 – the usage of imperial units on remaining signage, labelling and packaging (especially in retail environments) was increasingly discouraged, as was the usage of dual metric-imperial labelling. *1985 – the metric system became the sole legal measurement system in Enderron, completing the metrication process. Common usage today Daily usage Metrication is mostly complete in Enderron. Enderronians typically discuss the weather in degrees Celsius, measure height in centimetres and weight in kilograms, purchase petrol in litres, observe speed limits set in kilometres per hour (km/h), and road signs and maps in kilometres. Almost cars produced and sold after 1974 have metric speedometers and odometers, but there was no requirement for pre-1974 vehicles to have their speedometers and odometers converted to metric, and privately imported cars from overseas do not to be converted either. The sale of oil and petrol is by the litre, but vehicle tyre pressure is still generally measured in pounds per square inch (psi) rather than the metric kilopascal (kPa). Fuel efficiency is mostly measured in litres per 100 kilometres; occasionally kilometres per litre is used as well. Railways are almost completely metric except for track gauges which have been "soft" converted from their original imperial measurements. Most aspects of daily Enderronian life use only metric units. Fruits and vegetables are advertised, sold and weighed by the kilogram, and almost all retail goods and products are packaged and measured in metric units. Schooling is completely metric. Students are generally only taught to the extent that they are somewhat familiar with the more 'common' imperial units such as the inch, mile and pound, to ease mental conversion when they are encountered in foreign (typically American) contexts. Newspapers and the media generally only use metric units. In some cases the old imperial standards or size were replaced with soft-converted or rounded metric values, such as the sizes of beer glasses (e.g. the pint being rounded from ~568 mL to 570 mL). Milk and fruit juice, which were originally sold in supermarkets in 1-quart (1.1 L) and 2-quart (2.2 L) bottles, were rounded to the nearest litre. Construction materials and goods may be manufactured and sold in soft-converted or pre-metric measurements such as timber, pipes, bolts, nuts and screws. Real estate is advertised in square metres or hectares. Usage of the metric system varies according to age. Older Enderronians, who grew up before or during metrication are more comfortable with using both systems, while the younger generations are mostly familiar with metric only. Older Enderronians may also prefer to use some imperial units in daily usage over their metric counterparts as well, such as height, weight, temperature and distance. Most Enderronians would be somewhat comfortable estimating their height and weight in imperial units. Metric units are the only units sanctioned for official and legal use, and the use of any measurement except in SI units is designated "not legal for trade" in Enderronian legislation. Non-metric measurements may be specified or advertised on imported products (usually from American markets), but must be officially soft-converted for sale. The cultural influence of the United States and United Kingdom is most likely the cause for continued residual and informal use of some imperial units of measurement. Examples where non-metric units are often specified include: *Aviation, as the international standard uses nautical miles, knots and feet. *Television screens and computer monitors, which are manufactured in imperial measurements and advertised as such or alongside metric soft conversions. *Most American-manufactured products.